


Clipped Wings

by NervousOtaku (orphan_account)



Series: Tales of a 144 Player Fansession! [15]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Bullying, Chatlogs, Comfort No Hurt, M/M, Online Friendship, Protectiveness, SBURB Fan Session, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-10 05:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10430481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/NervousOtaku
Summary: Or: I Promise I'm Not Trying To Hold You Back, But You're So Fragile I Can't Help But Want To Smother You





	

“— and you're so _useless_ it's amazing you haven't _died_ yet!”

“ _Majorie!_ ” Simon roared, the door rattling on it's hinges as he threw it open. The Maid jumped in surprise, and a soft shriek left Liu. “Get the hell _away_ from him, you _whore!_ ”

“Oh, so _I'm_ the whore? Not the pathetic scrap you keep hanging around?” she sneered, gesturing to the Page.

“You and your sister both.” he growled, eyes narrowed as he stalked over to gather Liu up in a protective hug.

Majorie drew herself up in indignation. “That _slut_ and I may have come from the same puddle of goo, but that _does not_ make me _related_ to her!”

“Of course not! You and Eugenia are practically the same person!” Simon sneered.

She let out a feral scream of anger, uncaptchaloguing a hatchet and lunging at him. He didn't even have the chance to pull out his scythe before a ball of blackness barreled Majorie over. With the shadows licking at his vision, Simon couldn't see too well, but it wasn't hard to figure out that Pygmalion was dragging her away as she screamed obscenities.

He decided he was lucky that she still hadn't figured out her Void-powers. Chances were that could've been bad otherwise.

A growling sigh left him, and he ran his fingers through Liu's long hair.

“... What did she mean...?”

“About you being a pathetic scrap?”

“No... she said that you're keeping me from growing... that your presence is dooming me...”

Simon was quiet for a moment, just looking at the boy in his arms.

“... It's Majorie, Liu. She probably says that to all couples. She's a twisted, despicable human being who only gets along with four others. I'd say she's jealous of everyone who has someone that loves them, and just wants all of us to suffer so she can get a good laugh.” he answered.

Liu nodded, hunching his shoulders and fiddling with his scarf.

“Do you believe her?” Simon asked, a knot of tension growing in his gut.

“No, it's just... I don't get why she's so _mean_...” the smaller male said miserably.

“Like I said. She's a sick, twisted _whore_ who probably gets off to Fluthulu-porn.”

A quiet snicker left the Page.

“C'mon. You haven't slept in a while, I can tell by those dark circles. Let's get you in bed. Maybe you'll wake up this time.” Simon smiled gently, patting Liu's shoulder.

Ten minutes later, Simon stood over Liu, watching him sleep. He couldn't shake that horrible twisted feeling in his stomach.

When he had met Liu on LOFAR, the Page had only climbed one rung on his echeladder. Since they had met, he'd only advanced two. Almost every boondollar he'd gotten had come from someone else, mainly doomed Rogues of Time. The grist he used came from the communal pool in Gristorrent. He'd made almost no progress on his quest to thaw out the Land of Frost and Roses, since he'd been following Simon around ever since they found those consort-villages and learned the lore. He had yet to wake up on Prospit, and had yet to meet his Denizen. In fact, Liu was shaping up to be the _last_ person to do so.

Was he _really_ dooming Liu?

Swallowing, Simon left the bedroom and went to the study. Leaving the lights off, he turned on the computer and opened up the chat-client. He could've just used his communiwatch, but this discussion felt more appropriate on a standard computer.

**TimaeusEphemeral (TE) began pestering BarmaidHellion (BH)**

**TE: Lillias, are you there?  
TE: Hello?  
TE: I need help.  
TE: ...**  
**BH: Sorry, imps. Should just make the little bastards computers of their own and let them play Minesweeper on those.  
TE: Out of curiosity, are they any good at it?  
BH: Some of them are better than others. Maybe I should download more games to prevent fights. Bejeweled and stuff like that.  
TE: It's a possibility.  
BH: But anyway, what do you need help with?  
TE: Liu.**  
**BH: I'm not the relationship therapist. Talk to a Heart-player.  
TE: Not as a therapist. As a friend. Please, Lillias, you're my best friend.  
BH: ...  
TE: Please.  
BH: ... Fine. What is it.  
TE: We were blessed with a visit from Majorie today.  
BH: Ugh. What'd she do this time?  
TE: Lillias, do you think I'm dooming Liu?  
BH: How the fuck do you go from Majorie to that?!  
BH: Wait, don't answer.  
BH: Damn whore. We'll have to sick Logan and Lance on her again soon.  
BH: But I'm gonna need more information than that, Simon.**

Simon paused, taking a deep breath. Lillias was the only one he could talk to about this. He'd said it himself. It wasn't something that he felt comfortable going to the others about. But Lillias was _different_. She was a chum he'd had _before_ entering the Medium. She was _closer_. More personal.

**BH: Hey, is there a reason you've become an idle chum on me?  
BH: Helloooooooo, LOLAW to Timaeus!**

**TimaeusEphemeral (TE) is no longer an idle chum**

**TE: Majorie told Liu that I'm holding him back.  
BH: And you listened to her?  
TE: I think she has a point.  
BH: I may need to end our friendship and block you if you don't explain yourself this instant.  
TE: Liu hasn't progressed at all. He hasn't climbed his echeladder or advanced in his quest. He can only defeat imps, and only in one-on-one. He's got yet to wake up on Prospit and has followed me around since we met.  
TE: Am I really stifling him?  
BH: For starters, you haven't woken up on Prospit yet either.**  
**TE: Ouch.  
BH: Quit worrying about that. A quarter of us haven't woken up. The only reason a few woke up is that they god-tiered. It takes time and the proper triggers. You can't rush that.  
BH: And isn't Liu a Page? They naturally take longer to advance in these things than the other Classes. It's part of what makes them so powerful in the end.  
TE: He's only climbed three rungs on his echeladder.  
BH: I hate to be a cold bitch, but that sounds like a personal problem for him.  
TE: But I've been doing all the fighting! I'm climbing my echeladder like a monkey in a race for the best bananas, all the way at the top of the tree, and I threw down the mushy, overripe and bruised ones at Liu to slow him down! The little Liu monkey is left in the shade picking through the gross, slimy mush that doesn't even look like bananas anymore while I sit on top of the tree in the sun, feasting on the cream of the crop like a pig! Simon Cosmas, the avaricious pig-monkey!  
BH: You've been talking to Harvey too much or something.  
TE: What?  
BH: Look at it this way:  
BH: Before we can complete our quests, we have to mature. There's something important we have to learn in order to grow into our powers properly, and that's what allows us to use them effectively.  
BH: It plays a role in making god-tier. The more properly mature the player, the more powerful.  
TE: I know that!  
BH: Let me finish!**  
**BH: And the Aspect of Heart is about the soul. The individuality of a person. What makes them them. It includes positive emotions and romance as well.  
BH: So as the Page of Heart, Liu starts off with very little individuality and to be honest he's probably somewhat depressed or at least was. This means he's probably very dependent on others, but finds it very hard to trust them. He often doesn't know what he's doing with himself or what he wants out of life.  
BH: So you aren't stifling him so much as stabilizing him. You realize that you have the potential to drag him down, so you distance yourself just enough to keep that from happening. If you didn't before, you do now.  
BH: Honestly, if you're that worried, you should talk to him about it.  
TE: ... I'm scared he'd blame me...  
BH: I doubt he will.  
BH: Now I'm going to quit chatting and go make computers for the imps.  
BH: You, on the other hand, are going to work things out with Liu!**

**BarmaidHellion (BH) stopped pestering TimaeusEphemeral (TE)**

Simon sighed.

After a minute longer of staring at the screen, he closed the client and shut the computer down.

He moved back into the bedroom and stood over the slumbering Page.

Liu was small, thin and delicate. There was something all too childlike about him, and Simon couldn't help but want to shield him from the Incipisphere.

Part of him wondered what would have happened if he _hadn't_ gotten lost. If he'd actually made it to the Land of Labyrinth and Wrath instead of the Land of Frost and Roses. Would he have still met Liu and felt that same need? When they'd first met, it was just concern for this _moron_ wandering around in the cold without proper clothes. But as they'd hung out, it had evolved into the want to care. Simon still felt like the luckiest person alive, sometimes, even more than the walking good-luck-charms, the Heir and Page of Light. He had the sweetest and most delicate boyfriend.

Another sigh left him. He shucked off his shirt and changed into sweatpants, then climbed into the bed beside Liu.

As if by instinct, the Page turned and snuggled into the Prince's chest.

... They'd talk when they woke up later, Simon decided as he wrapped his arms around Liu.


End file.
